Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Denver news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Des Moines news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Minneapolis-St. Paul news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Tampa Bay news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Charlotte news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Julian Assange gestures to the media from a police car on April 11, 2019 in London. Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images
U.S. District Judge John Koeltl has dismissed the Democratic National Committee's lawsuit against the Russian government, WikiLeaks and the Trump campaign.
The big picture: Tuesday's dismissal means the DNC can't bring another action on this same claim. Koeltl writes that "the primary wrongdoer in this alleged criminal enterprise is undoubtably the Russian Federation," which "cannot be sued in the courts of the United States for governmental actions ... just as the United States government generally cannot be sued in courts abroad for its actions."
- The judge also notes that the "second-level participants" in the alleged activity — which include the Trump campaign, WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, Roger Stone and others — cannot be held liable for disseminating hacked emails because they are shielded by the same First Amendment protections that apply to the media.
- Koeltl also rejected the Trump campaign's attempt to sanction the DNC and did not consider special counsel Robert Mueller's report in his ruling, per Courthouse News.
Read the filing:
Go deeper: DNC sues Trump, WikiLeaks and Russia over 2016 election
Editor's note: This story has been updated to show that Koeltl rejected the Trump campaign's attempt to sanction the DNC and did not refer to the Mueller report in his ruling.